Orca Whale/Killer whale were first established in the early 1970’s. Males can weigh up to 22,000 pounds; females can weigh up to 16,500 pounds. A male orca can reach up to 32 feet and females can reach up to 28 feet. Females can live up to 80-90 years. But usually live about 50 years. A male can live only for about 30 years but could live up to 50-60 years. These are the whales we’ve seen as children in sea world they are clearly social animals. Orca whales communicate through underwater sound by making whistles and pulsed calls it’s believed to be connecting to social activities
Killer whales are found in all parts of the ocean from the Arctic to the Antarctic. In the North Pacific Ocean whales are often seen in parts of Alaska including Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Southeastern Alaska. When sighted in the North Pacific Ocean they are near shore and intercostal waterways of British Columbia, Canada and Washington State; along the U.S Pacific coast in Washington, Oregon and California; along the Russian coast in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk on the eastern side of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands; The North Atlantic Ocean have seen sightings of killer whales commonly in the pack ice edge in the Norwegian waters and around Iceland. When in the South Atlantic and Pacific oceans killer whales are usually seen in Antarctic, Patagonia, Southern Argentina and New Zealand.
Threats for the killer whales currently include contaminants, oil spills, shipwrecks, entanglement in fishing gear, whale watching (if not conducted responsibly), and depletion of prey due to overfishing and habitat degradation. Historically they’ve been hunted on a small scale for their meat, hides, blubber, and internal organs. Before 1981 Japanese, Norwegian, and Soviet whalers took nearly 6,000 whales.
Killer whales are some of the fastest swimming marine mammals. They can swim up to 28 mph at a few seconds at a time. Most killer whales cruise at slower speeds less than 8 mph they can do this for long periods at a time. When they are swimming near surface they stay below water for 30 sec. or less. Wave riding saves energy and when riding waves of a boats bow or stern wake they can go almost as fast using the same energy. When you see a killer whales café they swim close to the mother so they can be carried in the mothers “slip stream” that a hydrodynamic wake that develops as the mother swims. This helps the calf swim with less energy and enables the mother and calf to keep up with others.
Orca Whale/Killer whale were first established in the early 1970’s. Males can weigh up to 22,000 pounds; females can weigh up to 16,500 pounds. A male orca can reach up to 32 feet and females can reach up to 28 feet. Females can live up to 80-90 years. But usually live about 50 years. A male can live only for about 30 years but could live up to 50-60 years. These are the whales we’ve seen as children in sea world they are clearly social animals. Orca whales communicate through underwater sound by making whistles and pulsed calls it’s believed to be connecting to social activities
Killer whales are found in all parts of the ocean from the Arctic to the Antarctic. In the North Pacific Ocean whales are often seen in parts of Alaska including Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Southeastern Alaska. When sighted in the North Pacific Ocean they are near shore and intercostal waterways of British Columbia, Canada and Washington State; along the U.S Pacific coast in Washington, Oregon and California; along the Russian coast in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk on the eastern side of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands; The North Atlantic Ocean have seen sightings of killer whales commonly in the pack ice edge in the Norwegian waters and around Iceland. When in the South Atlantic and Pacific oceans killer whales are usually seen in Antarctic, Patagonia, Southern Argentina and New Zealand.
Threats for the killer whales currently include contaminants, oil spills, shipwrecks, entanglement in fishing gear, whale watching (if not conducted responsibly), and depletion of prey due to overfishing and habitat degradation. Historically they’ve been hunted on a small scale for their meat, hides, blubber, and internal organs. Before 1981 Japanese, Norwegian, and Soviet whalers took nearly 6,000 whales.
Killer whales are some of the fastest swimming marine mammals. They can swim up to 28 mph at a few seconds at a time. Most killer whales cruise at slower speeds less than 8 mph they can do this for long periods at a time. When they are swimming near surface they stay below water for 30 sec. or less. Wave riding saves energy and when riding waves of a boats bow or stern wake they can go almost as fast using the same energy. When you see a killer whales café they swim close to the mother so they can be carried in the mothers “slip stream” that a hydrodynamic wake that develops as the mother swims. This helps the calf swim with less energy and enables the mother and calf to keep up with others.
-Florence Wiessner
Citations
Commerce, D. o. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 5, 2013, from NOAA FISHERIES: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/killerwhale.htm
Seaworld Parks. (1994). Sea World Parks and Entertainment. Retrieved 11 4, 2013, from Animals Connect. Explore. Discover.: http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/killer-whale/adaptations.htm